Refrigerator-car.



E. J. SHUR.

REFRIGERATOR CAR.

I APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 195. v 1,21 1,496. Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. J. SHUR.

REFRIGERATOR CAR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18. ms.

1,21 1 ,496, v Patented J an. 9, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E. J. SHUR.

REFRIGERATOR CAR.

APPLICA'HON FILED SEPT-18,1915- I 1,21 1,496. Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

4 SHEET$-$HEET 3' E. J. SHUR.

REFRIGERATOR CAR.

APPLICATION man SEPT. 18. l9\5.

1,21 1,496. Patented Jan. 9, 191?.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

m: Mum FEYSRS cu PNOTO LIYHO wA-Mmnm u (z construction,

claimed, some of whlch are adapted to be UMTED @TATES PATENT EDWARD J. SI-IUR, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

REFRIGERATOR-CAR.

Application filed September 18, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. SHUR, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Refrigerator-Cars, of which the following'is a specification.

My present invention pertains to freight cars, and has for its general object to provide a car constructed with a view to transporting bananas in a wholesome state under different conditions of weather.

To the attainment of the foregoing the invention consists in the several features of hereinafter described and used to advantage in freight cars for general purposes.

In the accompanying drawings which are hereby made a part hereof: Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of my novel freight car. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of tgsame. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectio. taken in the plane indicated by the line 83 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: is a vertical transverse section taken in the plane indicated by the line H of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation showing one pair of doors and the locking means complementary thereto. Fig. 6 is a detail longitudinal vertical section showing one ventilator and the appurtenances thereof together with the opening below the ventilator body and the means for controlling said opening.

Similar numerals and letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

In furtherance of my invention, the car body is provided with a false, open-work floor 1, and. at the inner sides of its side walls the body is also provided with slats or other open-work means 4 designed and adapted to prevent bananas and other perishable goods from contacting with the said walls.

It will also be noticed that slats or other openwork means 4 is opposed to the inner imperforate portions of the inner transverse walls of the icecompartments 7 of the car. The said inner transverse walls of the icecompa-rtments are identical in construction, and therefore a detailed description of the wall shown in detail will suffice to impart adefinite understanding of both. The wall referred to is formed by two upright spaced sections. The section nearest the end wall I of the car body comprises an intermediate Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 191 "3.

Serial No. 51,425.

imperforate portion a, and open-work portions above and below the imperforate portion a and formed by the upright spaced slats 7) which restat the side of the imperforate portion a nearest the end wall of the car and serve the additional function of protecting said portiono against the ice in chamber '4'. The other section of the said wall comprises an intermediate imperforate portion 7), opposite and corresponding in size and position to the portion a, an upper open-work portion formed by upright spaced rods 0 or other suitable means, and a lower open-work portion, formed, by preference, of reticulated material (Z. In the space between the said wall sections is an upper, vertically movable door 6 and a lower, vertically movable door f; said doors being arranged in the same vertical plane, and the upper door being adapted to control the upper communication between the ice chamber 7 and the interior of the car body, while the lower door controls the lower communication between the ice chamber and said interior. A transverse shaft 9 is mounted in the car body between the spaced wall sections and above and in the same plane as the doors 6 and 7. Connected to and adapted to be wound on said shaft 9 are cables it which are connected at their lower ends to the upper edge of the door 6, and also connected to and adapted to be wound on the shaft 9 are cables 2'. These cables 2' are passed loosely through vertical bores 51' in the upper door 6 and are connected at their lower ends to the door 7. The relative arrangementof the cables h and 2' on the shaft 9 will be readily understood by reference to Figs. 2 and l, and hence it will be seen that when the shaft is turned in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4, the door (5 will be raised and the door f will be synchronously lowered. Thus both the upper and lower communications between the ice chamber and car interior will be simultaneously closed. Then when shaft 9 is turned in the direction opposite to that indicated by arrow, the upper door 6 will be lowered, and the lower door 7 will be raised to open the upper and lower communications, respectively. It will also be noticed that after both doors a and f are in open position, and the shaft 9 is turned in the direction opposite to that indicated by arrow, the upper door 6 alone will be closed, it being understood in this connection that the door 7 will is provided with a miter gear 23,

the opening to the ice compartment.

follow the door 6 upwardly between the imperforate portions 41 and I); also, that following the independent closing of the door 6, said door must be returned to its lower position by rotation of the shaft g in the direction indicated by arrow before both doors 6 and f can be simultaneously closed by rotation of shaft 9 in said direction.

Manifestly it is materially advantageous that a person in authority be enabled to readily control the upper and lower communicationsbetween the ice chambers 7 and the interior of the car body with a view to regulating the temperature and humidity in the said interior. Each transverse shaft 9 and each miter gear 23 is intermeshed with a corresponding gear 23 on a vertical shaft 50, which is journaled in the roof of the car and is provided with a hand wheel B. Said shaft 50 is held against causual rotation through the medium of a ratchet on the shaft and a complementary pawl on the car body. With a view to enabling the operator to determine the position of the upper doors 6 in the car body, I provide indicator rods 37 which are movable rectilinearly through the roof of the car. Said rods are provided within the car with rack portions 37, and said rack portions are intermeshed with pinions 51 fixed on the before-mentioned transverse door-operating shafts 9. From this it follows that manipulation of either shaft 9 will be attended by movement of its indicator 37 which will enable a person in authority to determine the positions of the doors e and f complementary to said shaft. In the top wall of each ice compartment 7 are filling openings, the walls of which are beveled or inclined upwardly and outwardly. Each filling opening is controlled by a vertically-swinging plug 17 hinged at 1a, and equipped with a plate 17. In the plates 17 are longitudinal slots to receive studs 13 on the arms 16 of a transverse shaft 52, mounted in the car body. Fixed on each shaft 52 is a miter gear 53, and said miter gear is intermeshed with a miter gear 12 fixed on alongitudinal shaft 12. The latter shaft is journaled in the end wall of the car body and is provided at its outer end with a hand wheel 10. By manipulation of the said hand wheel 10 it will be manifest that the plugs can be quickly opened or closed and this without the necessity of the operator going into the car body. The shaft 12' is equipped with a ratchet 11 to be engaged by a pawl on the car body.

Over each of the openings controlled by a plug 17 is a hood-like ventilator body 18. The said body 18 is hinged at 19 to the top of the car body, and hence when desired the ventilator can be readily swung from over The ventilator body is provided with an openroof when break joints with said ribs.

an arcuate recessed ing in its forward side, designed to be controlled by a hinged door 20, and fixed to said door 20 is a curvilinear or arcuate rack 22. This latter is designed to be sprung into and out of engagement with a keeper 21, and in that way the door 20 may be expeditiously and easily fixed in the position desired. Manifestly when no ice is carried in the compartments 7, the plugs 17 may be opened as may also the doors 20 of the ventilators, whereupon during the movement of the car large volumes of fresh air will be supplied to the interior of the'car body for ventilating purposes.

As shown in Fig. 4, each ice compartment 7 is provided with two water seal traps 6. The said traps respectively comprise a down pipe that leads from the ice compartment and is numbered 6"*, and the'cup which is connected to the downpipe by a bayonet slot or other suitable connection. The cup is larger in diameter than the downpipe so as to permit the free escape of water from the upper end of the cup, and yet the cup will always contain sufficient water to seal the lower end of the downpipe and in that way prevent atmospheric air from gaining access to the ice chambers. In the inner lower portion of each of the. ice compartments 7 are spaced bars 30 designed to support ice. Carried by a cable 11 which extends through an opening in the roof of the car body is a thermometer 9, and threaded on a collar 9 around said opening is a cap 9. The said cap serves to close the opening in the car the thermometer is pendent in the car with a view to excluding atmospheric air, and it also serves as a convenient handle 7 for the withdrawal of the thermometer when the person in authority desires to ascertain the temperature within the car body. The openings in the side walls of the car body are controlled by hinged doors 2, 2",. and

ribbed packing is provided at the sides and top of said openings as indicated by 72. the doors having grooves in their inner vertical edges and their upper edges to receive and It will also be seen that a keeper 38 is provided on the body below the door opening, and that keepers 36 are provided on the body above and below the door opening, each keeper 36 being provided with a roller 36 that is spaced from the side wall of the body. The innerdoor 2 is provided with a lever latch 38 designed to cooperate with the keeper 38, while the door 2 is equipped with means for tightly closing the two doors against the packing 7c and for fastening the doors in closed position. The said means comprises a hand lever 33, fastener bars35, a disk 36 to which the hand leveris hinged and towhich .the fastening bars 35 are pivotally connected, bar 34; fixed to the face of the door 2 and having an apertured lug 34, and a keeper bar 34 loosely connected with the bar 34 and having an aperture 34*, arranged to receive the apertured lug 34. Each fastener bar 35 is provided at its end with a beveled head 36, and consequently it will be manifest that when the lever bar is thrust downwardly and the upper bar upwardly, the door 2* will be strongly crowded inwardly, with the result that both doors will be pressed into the packing and in that way an air tight closure of the door opening will be effected. Then when the lever 33 is swung into one of the interdental spaces or recesses of the bar 34, and the keeper 34 is secured over the lever 33 and with its aperture 34 receiving the lug 34, and a seal is placed in said aperture 34 in front of the keeper 34, the doors 2 and 2 will be locked in the tightly closed position.

Mounted in the car body above the door openings are longitudinal tracks on, having stops m and arranged below each track m are two superimposed sliding door sections n and M, of open-work construction. Each of the lower door sections n is provided at its forward end with a hanger n slidable on its respective track 412-, and each upper door section is provided at its forward end with a hanger n slidable on the track on above it, and arranged back of the hanger 72 Each hanger a is provided with a latch n to engage a keeper carried by the car body when said section is in closed position, and each hanger a is provided with a latch n, designed to engage a keeper n in the adjacent hanger n Thus when the sections a n are connected by the latch a they may be moved to and from the closed position as a unit. Also when the latch 92 is disengaged from the hanger 71. the upper door section a can be moved to open position independently of the lower section a. When either pair of doors 2, 2* is open, and the adjacent door sections a n are fastened in closed position, the contents of the car will be effectually protected and at the same time light and air will be admitted to the interior of the car. When not in use the door sections it, n are slid back into pockets 1!) provided against the inner sides of the side walls of the car; the hanger of the upper door section bringing up against the stop m Extending throughout the length of the car interior between the ice chambers 7 and arranged adjacent the side walls of the car are longitudinal fixed rods t. Slidable on said rods t are hangers u, and pivotally connected to said hangers and arranged to swing vertically and lengthwise of the car are arms 1). A gate or partition 'w is fixed to and movable with each pair of arms 0, and each gate or partition is provided with hooks m and slid-able bolts y. The hooks 00 are to engage the rods 2? with a view to suspending the arms o and gates or partitions w in the upper part of the car and out of the way when the gates or partitions are not in use. When, however, it is desired to use either gate or partition to confine bananas or other goods in one part of the car, the hooks m on said gate or partition are disengaged from the rods t, and the gate or partition is swung downwardly to a position near the car floor. The gate or partition together with its complementary hangers a are then moved to the position desired in the length of the car, whereupon the bolts y of the gate or partition are shot into sockets in the car wall positioned to receive the same. In this way either gate or partition may be readily secured at various points in the length of the car, and when it is desired to use said gate or partition it may be readily shifted to and secured at the undersides of the rods t, near the roof of the car and out of the way.

Having described my invention what 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. The combination of a car body having an ice compartment, a drop door to cut of? cold air, means for controlling said door, and an indicator movable by the door and extending outside the car.

2. The combination of a car body having an ice compartment, a drop door to cut off cold air, a shaft journaled in the car body, cables connecting the drop door with said shaft, a miter gear on the shaft, and an upright shaft journaled in the top of the car body and having a miter gear intermeshed with the first-named gear and also having a handle exterior of the body.

3. The combination of a car body having an opening, a swinging plug in the body for closing said opening, a rock shaft in the body having an arm connected with the plug and also having a miter gear, and a shaft journaled in a wall of the body and having a miter gear meshed with the first-named gear and also having means for detachably securing it against retrograde rotation.

4. The combination of a body having an ice compartment and a goods compartment and also having lower and upper communications between said compartments, vertically-sliding gravitating doors adapted to control said communications, door raising means arranged exterior of the body, and a connection intermediate the doors and said means whereby the doors may be synchronously opened and the upper door may be closed independently of the lower door openmg.

5. The combination of a body having an ice compartment and a goods compartment and also having lower and upper communications between said compartments, doors for controlling said communications, and means outside the body for synchronously opening and closing said doors; said means being also constructed and arranged for the independent closing of the upper door while the lower door is open.

6. The combination of a body having an ice compartm nt and a goods compartment.

1 cations between said compartments, doors arranged in alinement one above the other for controlling said communications, a shaft mounted above the uppermost door and connected with operating means that extends outside the body, and cables connected with the doors and connected to and wound in opposite directions on the shaft.

8. The combination of a body having an ice compartment and agoods compartment and also having lower and upper communications between said compartments, doors arranged in alinement one above the other for controlling said communications; the up per door having a bore extending upwardly and downwardly therethrough, a shaft mounted above the uppermost door and Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing connected with operating means that extends outside the body, and cables connected with the doors and connected to and wound in opposite directions on the shaft; the cable complementary to the lower door being passed through the said bore in the upper door.

9. The combination of a body having an ice compartment and a goods compartment and also having lower and upper communications between said compartments, doors for controlling said communications, means constructed and arranged to synchronously open and close said doors, and'means constructed and arranged to independently close the upper door while the lower door is open.

10. The combination of a body having an ice compartment and a goods compartment and also having between said compartments spaced walls each of which comprises lower and upper open-work portions and an intermediate imperforate portion, lower and upper doors movable up and down between said walls; the upper door having a vertical bore, a shaft mounted above thedoors, and cables connecting the doors with the shaft, the cable of the lower door being passed through the bore of the upper door.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD J. SHUR.

Witnesses o M. E. KNIGHT, JOHN L. FELIN.

the Commissioner of Batents,

Washington, D. G. 

